Consultant - FIDH Representative to the U.N. Headquarters

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH- www.fidh.org) seeks to hire a consultant for six months, to act as its representative to the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The Representative will be responsible for the implementation of FIDH’s advocacy activities before the UN for the considered period, under the supervision of FIDH's Director for Intergovernmental Organizations (based in Brussels), and in collaboration with FIDH’s Geneva Permanent Representative to the UN.
The advocacy activities will reach out to the members of the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the UN Secretary General’s Office, the UN agencies, and the UN treaty bodies that meet in New York. Specific advocacy work will also be carried out before the U.S. Administration and U.S. Congress in Washington D.C. on a number of projects.

Specific responsibilities will include:

• Implementing FIDH’s advocacy activities to the UN headquarters and to the US administration, which include:
  • organizing specific advocacy visits of human rights defenders from around the world to the UN and US institutions, and developing follow-up strategies beyond the visits;
  • preparing, presenting and discussing advocacy position papers, open letters, reports, and press releases on either country-specific or thematic-specific situations;
  • evaluating the influence of UN decision-making on the promotion and respect of human rights;
• Interacting with FIDH’s geographic and thematic desks based in Paris and around the world, in order to keep FIDH staff team and member organizations closely informed of developing UN policies impacting international human rights and international criminal law.
• Engaging, as well as representing FIDH before the American and international media on various topics.

Country-specific focuses will include, but is not limited to: Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Burma, Israel/Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Libya, or Russia. Thematic focus includes but is not limited to: counter-terrorism, human rights defenders, or international justice.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Minimum requirement of a Master (or J.D.) in law, political sciences, or international relations, with a excellent knowledge of international human rights law, and the UN institutions;
• At least 2 years of relevant professional experience, preferably in human rights advocacy before intergovernmental or regional institutions;
• Written and spoken fluency in English and in French. Spanish or other languages are a plus;
• Ability to represent FIDH’s work and partners at a high and diplomatic level;
• Excellent and proven oral and written skills;
• Strong sense of individual initiative, ability to think conceptually and creatively;
• Ability to manage a project with autonomy;
• Ability to work under time pressure.

Please send your resume and cover letter via email to Antoine Madelin, amadelin@fidh.org All applications should be received by August 31^st 2011.